[Monday’s Notes No. 143] The Doors were one of the legendary bands of the psychedelic and rock movement. A charismatic leader and soul of the band, Jim Morrison consumed his existence in a few years, both glorious and dramatic at the same time. We analyse one of the Doors’ best-known songs entitledContinue readingJim Morrison, The End. The revolution is knocking at the door
[Monday’s Notes No. 140] At Last is a song by Harry Warren composed in the 1940s but brought to success by Etta James in 1960, also thanks to a simple but very good arrangement. The singer improvises much of the song, let us analyse her interpretation.Continue readingEtta James, At Last. How to vary a song
[Monday’s Notes No. 139] The Way We Were could be an ordinary song, instead it becomes something special thanks to a series of refinements in the way it was composed, arranged and sung. Barbra Streisand’s performance is also particularly poignant because the singer starred in the film for which the song was written.Continue readingBarbra Streisand, The Way We Were. How to write a good song
[Monday’s Notes No.138] For his personal history and for what he has been able to represent, Bob Marley stands alongside other rock legends such as Jim Morrison, John Lennon and Jimy Hendrix. To better understand the reggae music of which he is the most important exponent, let us analyse Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)…Continue readingBob Marley, Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)
[Monday Note no. 137] Buena Vista Social Club is a documentary film shot by Wim Wenders in 1999. The film follows the album of the same name by two years and aims to promote the music of some aged Cuban musicians brought back to the public eye by guitarist Ry Cooder. Among them is guitarist…Continue readingCompay Segundo, Chan Chan. Four chords and four towns
[Monday Note No. 136] Les Baxter is one of the most important exponents of Exotica, a genre of music that was popular in the 1950s. Exotic music was vaguely inspired by the sounds of distant and fascinating places, such as the Pacific Islands, the Orient, and South America. Let’s listen to Busy Port, taken from…Continue readingLes Baxter, Busy Port. Exotica, a precursor of New Age
[Monday Notes No. 135] Robert Johnson is a blues legend. He died at only 27 years of age, of him there remain a handful of recordings in which he sings accompanied by guitar, in the classic Delta blues style. One of these recordings, however, is very different from the others: it’s a song, entitled They’re…Continue readingRobert Johnson, They’re Red Hot. Between blues and minstrel show
[Monday Note No. 134] Amara Terra mia is a song that Domenico Modugno reinterpreted and thus brought to the attention of the whole of Italy. The original piece titled Nebbia alla valle (Fog in the valley) dates back to the early 20th century and was a work song of the olive harvesters of the Abruzzo…Continue readingDomenico Modugno, Amara terra mia. An Italian spiritual
[Monday Notes no. 133] A Place For Lovers is a song written by Manuel De Sica as the soundtrack for the film Amanti directed in 1968 by his father Vittorio De Sica. This is not one of the great director’s masterpieces, while the music is definitely worth mentioning. I have therefore tried to analyse how…Continue readingAmanti, Ella FItzgerald sings Manuel De Sica’s A Place For Lovers
[Monday Notes no. 132] Tre settimane da raccontare is a song by Alberto Testa and Walter Malgoni, performed by Fred Bongusto. This song has all the characteristics of the great ‘Italian song’. In particular, we will see what it has in common with so much Italian music of the 1960s and 1970s.Continue readingFred Bongusto and the Italian song, Tre settimane da raccontare